The Call
by life-in-the-stars
Summary: Nick is about to do something drastic, but one call changes everything. May trigger! Don't read if mentions of possible suicide could trigger you. Niff
1. Chapter 1

**Edit: I forgot to mark this as complete, but I could write more. Let me know in reviews or PM me with your answer and suggestions/critiques.**

**This story is based on The Call by Matt Kennon. It is sort of a Niff story, maybe pre-Niff. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters, nor do I own Matt Kennon or his song.**

* * *

It's funny how today was so beautiful. It was a perfect summer day, and not a cloud was visible in the sky.

And yet here Nick was, parked at the end of the dead-end road that led to some trails in the woods. He turned off his beat up Chevy pick-up truck, the only gift his dad had ever given him. He assumed that the man had only given it to him to try to "straighten him out." As if beating Nick up almost every day wasn't proof enough that he wouldn't get out of his gay "phase" anytime soon.

Nick opened up the glove box, and pulled out the gun he had hidden there. There was nothing left to keep him here. No one cared enough to miss him. He thought back to the note he left sitting on his pillows.

_Dear Dad,_

_ Even though this is addressed to you, don't think for one minute that I care about you or what you think of this. The only reason your name is on this letter is because you will be the first to find it, even if it isn't until after the police come knocking at the door._

_ I hope you know that this is all your fault. Wasn't it enough that you never cared about me? Why did you have to beat me up every day for being gay? It's not something I could help. I hope you're happy now._

_ Blaine, Wes, David, and the rest of the guys, if you get to read this, I'm sorry that I caused you guys so much trouble. I guess I'm out of your way now. Remember to always fly. Thanks for everything._

_ Jeff, you are the only one that has kept me alive this long. I loved you. I wish I had the courage to tell you this before, but it's too late now. Maybe I'll see you all again someday._

_ -Nick_

A few tear drops slipped from Nick's eyes, and he pointed the gun at his head. His finger was on the trigger, ready to end his life. He took one last long breath…

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg g!_

Nick's eyes shot open and he lowered the gun when he heard his cell phone go off. It was Blaine.

He took a shaky breath and answered the phone. "H-hello?"

"Hey Nick!"

"Hi Blaine." Nick smiled slightly. Of course Blaine was happy, when was he not?

"Where've you been these last couple of weeks? We've all missed you!" Blaine told Nick quickly.

"I've been busy," he mumbled to Blaine dismissively. He was still holding the gun.

"Well the boys and I are going to the lake this weekend. It won't be the same without you. And Jeff is so excited to see you again. Apparently he's been whining to Wes about it a lot."

Nick laughed at his crush's supposed antics. Jeff could always make him smile, even if he wasn't there. Nick reached over and put the gun back in the glovebox. How could he let Jeff down?

"Anyway, I better let you go. I really hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"You kind of did Blaine, but it's okay, I'm glad you called."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Smiling, Nick turned around and headed home. Suddenly, he was happy to be alive.

* * *

**_If someone you know, is weighing on your mind, _**

**_ And needs a friend on the other end of the line, _**

**_ Don't hesitate; what you say may seem so small. _**

**_ But who knows, they might be, glad you called._**

**_ So make the call._**

**_ "The Call" by Matt Kennon_**

**You never know what's going through someone's head. A few kind words can work miracles, and mean the difference between life and death for someone.**

**Don't be afraid to help, even if you don't realize. **

**If anyone ever needs someone to talk to, I'm available almost any time.**

**~ life-in-the-stars**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So this is the long delayed second chapter. I apologize for the time this took, but I never intended this story to be continued. It was accidentally left marked as incomplete, but I decided to continue it for reasons. I like where this is going, so there might be a few more chapters. But at least one more.**

* * *

Nick's smile did not last long. When he arrived at his home, his dad was already drunk, even though it was only early afternoon. He managed to get away with only being yelled at, as his dad seemed too drunk to hurt Nick.

Hurrying to his room, Nick closed and locked the door with a relieved sigh. Now if only he could stay out of his dad's way until the weekend so the bruises would not be as visible. Grabbing his letter he had written just that morning, Nick went to throw it away, but at the last moment, folded it and tucked it in his drawer beside his bed, underneath a photo album and some CDs.

Lying down on the bed, Nick pulled his laptop from underneath his pillow. He logged into Facebook, something he hadn't done in a few weeks, preferring to avoid contact with anyone from Dalton. If he kept in touch, he knew it would only hurt them more when he finally decided to kill himself.

Looking through his news feed, Nick realized just how much he had missed during the first few weeks of summer break. Some of the Warblers had met up, but never all at once, and he had many messages in his inbox. Nick smiled at a picture of Jeff playing tag with his little brother and sister before clicking on his messages. Most of them were from Jeff, wondering where he was, and if he wanted to hang out. The rest were from the other Warblers, asking how his break was going, and telling him to hurry up and reply. Nick smiled, posting that he was back on, and sorry he had been absent so long, but that he had been busy. He did not give any further explanation.

It wasn't long before the Warblers replied. Some said they were glad he was back and they were excited to see him this weekend. Blaine keyboard yelled at him for not answering their messages, texts, or calls until today, but said he was glad he was coming to the beach with them.

Nick spent some more time on Facebook, waiting to see if Jeff would come online. Eventually, he did, and immediately opened a chat with Nick.

_Where have you been?! I was worried… -J_

_ I've been busy. Family stuff. –N_

_ How have you been?-J_

Nick silently contemplated his answer. He didn't want to lie to his best friend, but he didn't want him to worry, either.

_I've been better. It has been a stressful couple of weeks. –N_

_ Is everything alright? –J_

Ever perceptive, even through the internet, Nick thought to himself.

_I'll be alright. I'm looking forward to this weekend! –N_

_ Me too! It seems like forever since we've seen each other. It's strange that we aren't roommates anymore. Now I don't have to worry about picking up my socks:) –J_

_ Haha I'm sure your mom would appreciate it if you cleaned your room every once in a while. –N_

_ Not everyone can be as much of a neat-freak as you are! –J_

_ If we weren't roommates I'm pretty sure you could grow a science experiment in your room. –N_

_ Not funny! I'm not _that _bad! –J_

_ Remember the apple incident? –N_

_ Ugh. Don't remind me. I swear that will never happen again. –J_

_ Whatever you say Jeff… -N_

They continued talking until Jeff said his younger siblings wanted him to watch a movie with them. Jeff apologized, but Nick told him to enjoy the movie, knowing how much Jeff loved Disney movies, and that was what his siblings would choose to watch.

Nick closed his laptop with a click, and stood up to change into more comfortable clothes for sleeping. He snuck out of his room to brush his teeth, and returned just as quietly. He relocked the door and turned off the light. When he reached the bed, he turned on his lamp and reopened his laptop. Knowing sleep would not come easily, Nick decided to watch a movie. He chose the first Lord of the Rings, and laid back to enjoy the movie. Tonight, he was glad for the distraction.

* * *

**AN2: I like reviews:) I honestly would not have continued this if not for Theaterlover13, who has been waiting over two months for this. My apologies.**

**~ life-in-the-stars**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Call chapter 3**

**Here is Chapter 3. It is sort of a filler chapter, so not much happens. A little bit of happy stuff before the rest of the story.**

* * *

The weekend came quickly for Nick. He stood in front of the mirror inspecting his bruises. He had managed to avoid his dad all week, and now most of the bruises were faded and barely visible. Sighing in relief, Nick pulled his shirt back on, grabbed his keys, and left the room quickly. His dad was still out, luckily, but Nick did not want to take any chances so he was leaving the house early. He planned on just driving around and killing time until it was acceptable to go to the beach and meet his friends.

At around noon, Nick turned his truck towards the lake. When he arrived, he immediately saw many of the expensive cars the other Warblers drove. He always felt self-conscious when parked next to them with his beat up pick-up truck. He had barely shut the door to his truck and pocketed the keys when he was nearly tackled with the force of a hug. Turning his head, he saw it was Jeff with his arms wrapped tightly around his torso.

"Jeff, you're suffocating me!"

"Sorry," the boy replied, loosening his hold on Nick. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I know."

Just then, some of the other Warblers came up to Nick and hugged him as well, although not as tight as Jeff had. They then led Nick to the beach where the rest of the boys were already waiting.

"Look what the cat dragged in!" David yelled as they arrived, pulling Nick into another round of hugs and greetings. Nick thought he would get more bruises from the number of hugs he was getting.

"Come on guys, let's play some volleyball!" Blaine shouted. They quickly spread into two teams, with some of the boys preferring to sit out and either tan, relax, or swim.

The boys spent the game arguing over the ball being out or not and Wes threatening violence if they didn't just play the game. Nick spent the game and laughing at Jeff as he tried to spike the ball over the net, but failing most of the time.

David sighed, exasperated. "Come on, Jeff. You are plenty tall enough to get it over the net. Blaine's sets are nearly perfect."

"I'm a dancer not a volleyball player!" Jeff argued back, waving his arms around in emphasis.

"John's a beat-boxer, and he's still beating you at it," Nick teased.

Jeff glared at him and opened his mouth to continue the argument, but Wes stopped them before they delayed the game even more.

"Jeff, I will concuss you if you do not shut your mouth. I want to swim at some point today, so please keep quiet."

Somehow, Jeff managed to stay relatively quiet for the rest of the game.

The Warblers spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, eating, and talking, and occasionally breaking into song.

"If I hear one more Katy Perry song I'm going to choke somebody," Trent complained from where he was laying in the sand.

Blaine pouted and grabbed another bag of chips.

"And no more Pink either!"

The rest of the Warblers laughed at Blaine's expense. The boys began cleaning up, putting coolers away, picking up any trash, and taking everything to their vehicles. Not wanting the day to be over quite yet, they decided to get ice cream.

After everyone received their orders, they crowded the picnic tables outside the ice cream shop. Their ice cream was almost gone when Wes stuck the remains of his cone on David's head, who then returned the favor by flinging a spoonful of his chocolate ice cream at Wes, but it missed and hit Trent instead. An all-out ice cream war broke out, with most of the boys involved. Only Nick and Jeff stood outside the reach of the carnage.

"I just don't understand it," Nick shook his head sadly.

"What?"

"How they can go from being proper school boys to five-year olds in about ten seconds."

Jeff laughed, agreeing. Their friends were definitely special.

"What are you kids doing out here?!" The manager of the shop came storming out, anger clear in his eyes. "Get out of here and quit making a mess!"

The boys scrambled to the driveway, laughing guiltily. They said their goodbyes and hugged each other, promising to meet up again soon.

Jeff rolled down his window, getting Nick's attention before the other boy could drive away. "Do you want to meet up again next weekend?"

The brunette smiled. "Of course. Text me the details." He waved as he pulled out of the driveway, heading back to his house.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Call chapter 4**

**I'm sorry for the long waits between chapters, but I literally have nothing planned for this story. As I've said before, this was supposed to be a one-shot that I decided to continue, so I never planned the plot. I have a few ideas, but it will still be a while in between updates. Maybe.**

* * *

The summer flew by for Nick. He spent the days hanging out with Jeff and the other Warblers, and the nights staying in his room and avoiding his father. Although he was still beat up, and his bruises never seemed to fade, Nick was the happiest he had been in years.

Jeff helped with that a lot. He was always able to make Nick smile and laugh, even when he just wanted to curl up and forget the world.

Currently, the two boys sat in the local coffee shop, sipping their drinks and trying to stifle their laughter. They had already been warned to quiet down or they would have to leave.

"We should probably get going before we actually get kicked out," Jeff told Nick, still giggling.

"Probably," Nick replied, laying a few dollars on the table for a tip.

The boys left the coffee shop and walked to Jeff's car, throwing their empty cups out on the way.

"So are you excited for school to start next week?"

Nick thought for a moment before answering. "As excited as I could be. I'm glad we're roommates again."

Jeff nodded. "Me too. At least we know what to expect from each other. We don't have to go through the awkward first weeks like last year."

"It was a very awkward week, but I guess we both got something pretty good out of it."

Jeff smiled brightly and said good-bye to the other boy. Nick waved as Jeff drove away and got in his truck and headed home. Once there, he didn't know what to do, so he decided to start packing for school. He drug his duffle bag and backpack out of his closet and started to neatly fold and pack away his clothes. He packed most of what he was taking, thinking he wouldn't need many outfits in the remaining week before school started.

Nick did not often come home on weekends so he didn't leave much behind, preferring to take it all in one trip. In the backpack, he packed away some of his personal items, mostly a few books, CD's, movies, and a few knickknacks. The rest of his stuff would have to wait.

By the time it was the day Nick was leaving for school, he was ready to leave the house. He was sick of his father's abuse, and missed his friends. It seemed they had all been on radio silence since Nick and Jeff's trip to the coffee shop. He supposed they were spending time with their families before they had to go to school later that week. Nick mostly spent his time on his laptop watching movies and shows and counting down the hours until he left the house.

He was just packing the last of his stuff in the backpack when he came across his razor in a box underneath his bed. He hadn't cut since before the day he finally talked to Jeff on Facebook. He had an inner debate with himself, trying to decide if he should take it with him. He was doing really well, about two months free of self-harm. But Nick somehow knew it wouldn't last. He set it back in the box, defeated, and laid the box next to his bags.

He ran downstairs and wrote a note to his father, reminding him he was going to school and that he no longer had to buy food for him. He hung it on the fridge and checked outside to make sure it wasn't raining. He didn't want his luggage to get wet on the drive to Dalton. He then put his bags in the bed of his truck and went back upstairs to grab the box and the suit bag that held his uniforms. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and, looking back, a foreboding sense of finality washed over him. Shrugging off the weird sensation, carried the rest of his stuff to the truck, locked the door and began the drive to Dalton.

As Nick pulled into Dalton's driveway, he saw a group of Warblers waiting around on the benches and talking. When he turned his truck off, they rushed over and gave Nick hugs before grabbing his bags and uniforms from the truck, leaving him with only his box.

"I could have gotten it myself, guys."

"Nonsense," David replied. "Why make you walk up twice?"

"Haven't you guys all been up at least twice then?" Nick asked.

"Yes, but we're all unpacked and we were bored!" John led the way up to the third floor, where all their friends' dorms were located. They had been lucky that this dorm is typically where the music kids lived. Returning Warblers, band kids, and vocalists lived here, along with many mid-year transfers.

Nick came out of his thoughts as he heard Thad yell for Jeff to open the door. As soon as it opened, the boys with Nick's stuff barged in with Nick following.

"They got you too?" Jeff asked with a smile.

"Yep, it was nice though. Less work for me."

The others waved goodbye and left as quickly as they had come, no doubt to attack whoever was next to pull in.

The layout of the room was the same as last year's, so the boys had no trouble choosing their beds and desk. Jeff took the area by the window, leaving Nick to take the other bed. They both unpacked their stuff mostly in silence, occasionally asking questions about how the last week of summer had gone, or what time they wanted to go to dinner.

"I'm sure the Warblers will come barging in here when they are finished helping and insist we go with them to dinner," Jeff told. "By the way, did you notice our room number?"

Nick shook his head. "What is it?"

Jeff smiled widely. "36."


End file.
